


Treesprout

by fuwaesthetic



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Coming of Age, Gen, Pokemon Journey, because we can't have nice things, updates monday/wednesday/friday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-05 19:23:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuwaesthetic/pseuds/fuwaesthetic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <span class="small">a small collection of scenes and instances that follow FR/LG's storyline, with Leaf as the main character. a true coming of age story, starting with an acorn who doesn't quite think she's ready for this and ending with a tree who's become the strongest trainer in all of Kanto.</span>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pallet Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At ten years old, Leaf receives her first Pokémon and starts on out on a journey to prove her worth to her best-friend-turned-bully Blue -- and to herself.

Leaf begins her journey without much fanfare. It's simply her day to go off - her and Blue's, she reminds herself. When she looks around her room, it's not to stall for time but to remember every inch of the place she called home for the last ten years. She stands from her desk and moves through it; she trails her hands along the row of Pokémon-related books on her spring green bookshelf, then takes a seat on the yellow spotted rug and toys with the NES's controller. On the television, there's a movie -- she watches it for a few minutes, distracted by the sudden change to color, and feels her heart squeeze when she realizes it's the Wizard of Oz.

What a bad movie choice for going out.

She slips down the stairs and rushes to her mother, wrapping her arms around her wide, warm shoulders. Her mother laughs and takes off her hat, petting the hair beneath it, and Leaf buries her head into her mother's soft bosom.

"Right." Her mother takes a deep breath, and Leaf looks up. They're both having a miserable time trying not to cry, now, even though Leaf knows she has to be strong for her mother.

"Right," her mother repeats and smiles. "All girls dream of traveling. It said so on TV."

Leaf nods slowly, stepping back. Her fingers curl into her mother's blouse, and she almost wishes she didn't have to go. Almost, because she's been waiting a long time for this. Her mother gives her a look over, squabbles with her hair a little, then places the hat back on her head and sighs. Her slightly wrinkled hands, soft from years of mothering, lay on her lap.

"Professor Oak, from next door, was looking for you."

She nods again, kisses her mother on the cheek, and heads out. It occurs to her, two steps from the Oak lab, that she didn't say anything through the whole ordeal. She tries to squeak out a word for herself, but it warbles and -- well, she decides it was probably for the best that she hadn't talked. She wipes the last tears edging her eyes from the effort, then peeks inside.

There's Blue, waiting at the opposite end, but no sign of the Professor. She heads in regardless, giving her old friend a small wave as she approaches. He doesn't return it, and Leaf tries not to let the disappointment show on her face.

"What, it's only Leaf?" Blue sighs, pressing two fingers to his forehead. Leaf imagines he must be thinking where is that old coot now, but nods.

"Mom told me Professor Oak was looking for me. Is he here?"

Blue gives her a look that asks, does it look like he is? Leaf feels her cheeks heat up, both out of embarrassment at her stupid question and anger at his attitude, and he laughs with a shake of his head. It isn't friendly.

"Gramps isn't around."

"Then I'll find him." A look of surprise registers on Blue face, and Leaf turns on her heel and heads out of the lab. She stretches outside of the lab, looks around, and starts her search.

None of the residents can point her to where the old man might be. She stands at the edge of town and frowns. Could he be out in the field--? She steps outside of town, and jumps at the sound of scuffling from behind her. Caution makes her jumpy than usual, and she gives a small shriek when a hand lands on her shoulder.

When she looks over, though, it's only the professor.

"Hey! Wait!" He pants, even though she's already stopped. Leaf tries to calm her racing heart and squeezes her hands together. "Don't go out! It's unsafe! Wild Pokémon live in tall grass!"

Leaf opens her mouth to respond, but the professor shakes his head firmly and wags a finger at her. She deflates neatly at it, shutting her mouth despite the fact she wasn't going to back talk about it.

"You need your own Pokémon for protection," he scolds.

"I know," she manages to get out before he can go on. "That's why I went looking for --"

"I know!" The professor continues. He turns her around and pushes her towards the lab looming in the distance, humming to himself. He's evidently pleased by whatever idea he's gotten in his head. "Here, come with me!"

Leaf doesn't have the heart to tell him that she doesn't have a choice, if he's pushing her along the way he is, so she keeps quiet until they get to the lab and he pulls her the rest of the way in. Blue gives a start when he sees them, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning.

"Gramps! I'm fed up with waiting!"

Professor Oak frowns back, but instead of in frustration - like Blue's - it's in confusion.

"Blue? Let me think..." Blue rolls his eyes and waits. Leaf wonders if it's always like this for them. "Oh, that's right, I told you to come! Just wait!"

Professor Oak turns to her, and Leaf takes a small step back.

"Here, Leaf!" He takes her hand and tugs her forward. She almost starts to ask a question, then thinks better of it. He'd probably answer it -- "There are three Pokémon here."

"Where?" She glances around, but only sees the three balls sitting on the table. Professor Oak laughs, but her embarrassment comes from Blue's snickering behind his hand. She glares at him, and Professor Oak clears his throat with much amusement.

"The Pokémon are held inside these Pokéballs," he explains as he motions to them.

"Oh." She feels a little stupid now. Her old friend looking at her like she's stupid doesn't help. Leaf struggles for something else to say, and comes up with a simple enough question: "How did you get them?"

"When I was young," Professor Oak sighs as he turns to the table and smiles at the three pokémon, "I was a serious Pokémon Trainer. But now, in my old age, I have only these three left."

He pauses, then turns to her. "You can have one."

Leaf can't help it; she gapes a little. Really, she had come for a Pokémon to begin her journey with but -- one of such great improtance to the professor --

"Go on," the kind old man coaxes, "choose one!"

"Hey! Gramps! No fair!" The voice of her soon-to-be rival interrupts her shock, and the two of them look at him. "What about me?"

"Be patient, Blue!" The professor gruffs at his grandson. Blue rolls his eyes. "You can have one, too."

Leaf bites her lip -- Blue had been waiting here longer than her -- and turns to him to say, "You can choose first."

"Heh, I don't need to be greedy like you. I'm mature!" She flinches at the barbed words and, instead of feeling angry like she wants to, feels an ache in her chest instead. Blue either pretends not to notice or doesn't, because he shrugs towards the table. "Go ahead and choose, Leaf!"

So she does. She studies them in their pokéballs, and Oak chuckles at her careful consideration.

"Bulbasaur is a grass-type and very easy to raise. Squirtle is a water-type and is one worth raising. Charmander is a fire-type, and you need to be patient when raising it."

Grass, water, and fire. Easy to raise, worth what struggle there might be, and patient. Leaf reaches for Charmander's ball, then spares a glance towards Bulbasaur and takes that one instead. The pokémon smiles at her through the translucent red, and she feels one of her own growing.

Blue takes her place when she steps back, marvelling at the pokéball, and without a hint of hesitation she notices him take the charmander's ball.

“I'll take this one, then!” He studies it proudly. “It looks a lot tougher than yours.”

“I guess,” she mutters, but holds her new bulbasaur close to her chest and kisses its pokéball. Saurette, she decides. Her name is Saurette. Oak smiles when she tells him so and nods; no doubt he's feeling the nostalgia of getting his first pokémon and naming it something. Blue, she notices, doesn't name his.

“Wait, Leaf!” Blue calls as she turns away. She pauses, looking over her shoulder with a feeling of dread beginning to creep up her arms. “Let's check out our Pokémon! Come on, I'll take you on!”

“Oh, for Pete's sake...” Oak sighs as Leaf hesitantly lets out Saurette. He shuffles closer to her and lays a hand on her shoulder; it's warm and calloused, and she's reminded that yes – this old man used to be one of the greatest pokémon trainers in Kanto. “Leaf. You've never had a Pokémon battle before, have you?”

“No, sir.” She hadn't even seen one before. Blue laughs, but she knows he's in the same boat. Grandson of the professor or not. “A Pokémon battle is when trainers pit their Pokémon against each other. The trainer that makes that knocks out the other trainer's Pokémon first wins.”

At her worried look, Oak laughs. “It isn't so hard, Leaf, and they enjoy it. It's also easier to experience than to hear about, so why don't you give it a try?”

She's not completely sure of its safety, but goes for it anyway. Their pokémon exchange blows, but Saurette's faster; Charmander goes down, and Leaf bounces on the balls of her feet.

“We did it!” She returns her bulbasaur, just as Blue groans that he picked the wrong pokémon. “Good job, Saurette.”

“I'll make my Pokémon battle to toughen it up!” Blue returns his fainted charmander, and Oak heals the both of them. “Leaf! Gramps! Smell you later!”

And out he goes. Leaf watches with a heavy mixture of disappointment and happiness, then thanks the professor and heads out herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [team:  
> saurette | serious bulbasaur | level 6 | female | tackle, growl
> 
> badges: n/a]


	2. Parcel & Errand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She suspects it has something to do with being the professor's grandson. Or being a huge jerk.

It's loud.

It's nothing like Pallet Town, sleepy and quiet and safe. Pokémon constantly buzz and shift through the grasses. It makes Leaf antsy, and she keeps her hand on her pokéball as she steps out onto Route 1. People mill about on the corners of the path, but she pays them no mind; she just focuses and ducking in and out of the tall grasses and trying to keep a clear head.

Now that she's out of home, the confidence from beating Blue has drained from her bones. She jumps at families of Rattata and apologizes to them; she ducks from angry Pidgeys, and Saurette ends up growing stronger and stronger from battles they can't run from. Leaf sits halfway through the route, on a ledge overlooking the south path towards her home, and holds Saurette's pokéball tightly in her lap.

“Maybe I'm not cut out for this,” she mutters. She feels like it won't be the last time she utters those words either, and the thought lurks in the back of her mind. Her bulbasaur watches from her pokéball, curious at her trainer's sorrow despite her serious nature, and Leaf offers her a smile. “I'm fine, Saurette. Just thinking.”

She lets the grass pokémon out, wrapping her arms around her when she shuffles closer to nuzzle Leaf. The professor had decided she was good enough, she reminds herself. He had trusted her with one of his precious pokémon, and now she was going on her own journey. True, she hadn't wanted to go at first; the thought of actually going around Kanto had never registered in her mind as something she could do, much less something she'd want to, but Blue had become interested in the idea – and in the new friends that came with it – and she --

Leaf closes her eyes and catches one of Saurette's vines when the bulbasaur reaches up to rub her cheek. She hadn't wanted to be left behind. She had never been good at making friends – being mild-mannered earned you acquaintances – but Blue had seen through that and into the heart of someone determined to keep her place in the world, and he had lit it up. She told him, once, that he was like a bonfire that lit of the night sky and made it really hard to see the stars. He had laughed and told her that she was a leaf, who was gonna get caught by the bonfire and burn into crisps.

Maybe he had been bullying her for a little longer than she thought. Or maybe it had been a joke, like his tone suggested. She had laughed as a child, but with the threat of failing those who dared to believe in her hanging over her head she wonders if he wasn't more right than he thought.

Or maybe he was wrong, like she always secretly believed.

Slowly, her hand lets go of her bulbasaur's vine, and she stands.

“Right.” Leaf puts her hands on her hips and takes in a deep breath. Saurette squares herself beside her; it makes her smile.

“Right,” she repeats. “Let's get going, Saurette. Viridian City isn't going to come to us.”

The rest of the route is the same as the beginning, but she doesn't try to run from battles nor does she shake at the sight of them. She only gives orders to her bulbasaur and watches, with growing excitement, as she gets stronger and stronger. The first time they use Leech Seed, Leaf laughs and kisses her pokémon's forehead. They won't have to worry about buying potions – although a helpful mister gave them one earlier, and there had been one left in her PC by her mother before she left home – for a while, she thinks.

(She's wrong, but that isn't until later.)

Viridian City itself is large, beautiful, and equally as loud as the route leading to it. Leaf pushes out the angry murmurs of old men and frustrated young women, forcing herself step by step to the Pokémon Center. The nurse kindly heals her pokémon for free, then asks if she's new. Leaf blushes (was it really so obvious?) and nods.

“Then you might want to check out the Poké Mart to the northeast of here,” the nurse helpfully supplies. “It has a lot of different items that are useful for trainers. Plus, you won't have to come back here as often if you're well stocked.”

“Thank you.” Leaf bows her head – the nurse laughs, evidently joyed by the display of respect – and smiles as she takes her bulbasaur from the nurse. “I'll be sure to go right after this.”

“We hope to see you again!”

She shuffles out of the Pokémon Center and towards the mart. It really isn't too hard to spot, with its vibrant blue roof, and she counts the money her mother gave her as she steps in. A knocking on counter garners he attention, and she throws the man at the register a nervous smile when she gets over to him.

“So, hey --”

“You're from Pallet Town, right?”

Leaf pauses, mouth open to finish her sentence, then closes it and nods slowly. The man nods happily to himself, kneeling to pull a package out from under the counter and then placing it in front of her.

“Great! Could you give this to Professor Oak?”

“But I wanted to buy --”

“It arrived just today, and I hear it's something important. Would you mind?”

“-- No,” she sighs. “I wouldn't.”

She takes the parcel, turns out of the mart, and groans when she reaches the southern exit. At least she could comfort herself with the idea that, since she hadn't seen Blue here, he must still be on the first route...

...training to get stronger, she realizes miserably. Saurette taps her vines against the lid of her pokéball, as if to comfort her, and Leaf manages a smile. She lifts the pokéball to eye-level, sighs again, and looks out towards Pallet Town.

“I guess we're going to see the professor again, Saurette.”

\--

“Professor!”

“Oh, Leaf!” He stands from his desk and meets her by the table she had taken her bulbasaur from. The Squirtle's still there, she notices, and her heart pangs for it – how it must be lonely, now that its friends are gone. Oak follows her eyes, chuckles, and lays a hand over it.

“He's fine,” he assures her. Leaf smiles in relief. “How is my old Pokémon?”

She lets out Saurette, and the bulbasaur immediately reaches her vines over to caress the professor's wrinkled hands. They bunch and curl as Leaf picks up her bulbasaur and moves closer for Professor Oak to inspect the plant pokémon.

“Well, it seems to be growing more attached to you. You must be talented as a Pokémon trainer.”

She blushes at the compliment and hugs her bulbasaur, smiling. When she shifts on her feet, the parcel knocks against her side and she hurries to put her pokémon down to retrieve it. “I have something for you, Professor – a man at the mart in Viridian City told me to deliver it.”

Oak frowns, until she presents it to him and he gets the chance to open it. The confusion fades into excitement as soon as he sees what's inside. “Ah! It's the custom pokéball! I had it on order. Thank you.” 

“Gramps!” Leaf turns at Blue's voice; he's hurrying in, and he barely gives her a glance as she stands in front of his grandfather. “I almost forgot! What did you call me for?”

“I have a request for you two. On the desk there is my invention, the Pokédex! It automatically records data on Pokémon you've seen or caught. It's a high-tech encyclopedia!” Oak rushes out in one breath, hurrying over to the desk with his inventions. He pauses to catch it, then turns to them. “Leaf and Blue. Take these with you.”

He hands them one red Pokédex each. Leaf studies it, and Blue pockets it without a second thought. As she pokes through the information – there's full detail on Bulbasaur, which she's glad for – Oak begins to pace.

“You can't get detailed data on Pokémon by just seeing them. You must catch them to obtain complete data. So, here are some tools for catching wild Pokémon.” Leaf closes the Pokédex and puts it, as well as the five pokéballs he supplies them with each, in her bag. “When a wild Pokémon appears, it's fair game. Just throw a Poké Ball at it and try to catch it! This won't always work, however. A healthy Pokémon can escape. You have to be lucky!”

“But why us?” She asks, just as Blue asks, “But why her?”

The professor is quiet for what feels like forever. Even Blue begins to show a tinge of worry; if Leaf hadn't known him all her life, she would've missed it. The way his lips turned down at the edge and his nose scrunched slightly, to match the narrowing space between his eyebrows. Her eyes dart to the clock on the wall; it's only been three minutes, but that's three minutes too many for such a question.

Finally, the professor sighs and clasps his hands behind his back. “To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world… That was my dream! But, I'm too old! I can't get the job done. So, I want you two to fulfill my dream for me. Get moving, you two. This is a great undertaking in Pokémon history!”

“Alright Gramps! Leave it all to me!”

The professor sighs as Blue turns to Leaf, a hand on his hip and one palming the air.

“Leaf, I hate to say it, but you won't be necessary for this.”

She suspects it has something to do with being the professor's grandson.

“I know! I'll borrow a Town Map from my sis! I'll tell her not to lend you one, Leaf! Hahaha! Don't bother coming around to my place after this!”

Or maybe it just has something to do with being a huge jerk. She's hurt more than angry, and as she watches him run out of the lab she feels Oak's warm hand on her shoulder once more. He smiles at her, encouraging her steps, and she thanks him again for the errand as she picks up her bulbasaur.

He had become such a bully, lately. She wonders if it was because it had ceased to be "cool" to hang out with the girl you grew up with. She brushes it off and decides it doesn't matter as she makes her way to his house regardless to see if Daisy is nice enough (and she is) to give her a map, too.

(It does matter, of course, and it isn't so easy to brush off and make excuses for. She traces the spotty patterns on her bulbasaur's head and wonders if they'll ever be friends the way they used to be.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [team:  
> saurette | serious bulbasaur | level 8 | tackle, growl, leech seed
> 
> badges:  
> n/a]


	3. Viridian Forest & Pewter City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's easy to lose your way. Luckily, it's easy to find it once again with a little help.

Viridian Forest isn't easy.

Trekking through tall grass, her bulbasaur beginning to wear out from the constant battling and Leaf's irresponsible executive decision to not heal her pokémon and or to buy potions from the mart in Viridian City, she begins to wonder if she's really ready for this.

Ready to be a trainer -- ready to go out, like her mom had. Like her dad had. Like Blue had planned to do -- first, with her; then, without.

She had thought they'd be okay without it, seeing as they had Leech Seed. The bugs and birds of the forest made her think twice, and the trainers populating the area with surprising thickness was a kick to the gut. She hadn't counted on Saurette not having the stamina to do it – something that wasn't her pokémon's fault, she knows – and berates herself as she skirts the tall grass and eyes the patches she can't skip with a wary pair of eyes. Saurette watches from inside her pokéball, and Leaf flashes her a smile even though she doesn't feel like smiling.

Her starter pokémon sees right through it – at least, she seems to, with those soft but serious eyes. Leaf lets the smile drop and takes a break against a tree. Saurette lets herself out and climbs into her trainer's lap; her bulb gets gently strokes and a warm cheek against it while Leaf starts to think.

“You're a lot stronger now, Saurette.” The bulbasaur agrees with a croak of its name, and Leaf giggles. “That's a good thing that's come out of this.”

She pauses, both in speaking and in rubbing the tender bulb. Saurette taps her cheek with shaking vines, and she continues her motions. “Sorry. About everything. You probably would've been in better hands if you stayed with the professor, or Blue, or with someone else. I should've stayed home.”

“Bulba,” Saurette croaks in a disagreeing tone. Leaf smiles, but doesn't laugh and chuckle at it.

“I'm ten years old.” Another pause. Ten years old. She'd be eleven in November. That seemed so far away, with spring beginning. “I knew enough to get my license, but... the experience is a lot different.”

The sound of Weedle and Caterpie shuffling in the trees is the only thing to permeate her quiet. Saurette spends her time rubbing her vines on her trainer's face, and Leaf supposes it's her pokémon's way of trying to comfort and cheer her up. She had tried to do the same thing before, hadn't she? On Route 1, when she had been sitting on the ledge and watching Pallet Town go along its daily life far below her, moping.

Like now.

Saurette hops off Leaf's lap when she stands; the vines don't quite retreat, wrapping around her right leg instead. She doesn't feel much better, despite her show of determination for her pokémon, and she returns her bulbasaur to continue on through the thick, winding forest.

And, at last, the final stretch. Really, she almost screams when she sees the exit. She does scream (a small one) when a trainer catches her passing glance and grabs her arm.

"Hey! What's up? What's the rush? What's the hurry?"

She almost tells him that all she wants to do is get out -- that her bulbasaur's barely fit to fight, that she's barely fit to be a trainer, but he's already sending out his weedle to battle her with. She clenches the hem of her shirt, swallows back the frustrated tears that had began to form at the edges of her eyes, and sends out her weary pokémon with an apologetic look. Saurette shakes her whole body and steels herself.

The battle starts with Leech Seed - a move she had came to rely on when faced with bugs that would only harden their defenses when attacked - and continues with a fierce Vine Whip. The vines wiggle when they draw back, Saurette shakes as she tries to keep standing, and Leaf panics.

Saurette begins to growl -- it's a feeble sound, meant to shy the other pokémon's intent of attacking ( _lowering its stats will give you the advantage_ , she faintly paraphrases the professor), but it's still a battle of attrition as the seed pulls energy from its host.

Leaf wins, but barely. She scoops her bulbasaur up and laughs, truly laughs, because there's barely any stamina between them anymore. The boy pays out to her and smiles shyly, but she's already taking his money and rushing with her bulbasaur out of the forest and into Pewter City. It's a welcome sight, and she heads to the Pokémon Center as soon as she spots it.

She gives her pokémon to the nurse on duty, then promptly collapses into one of the chairs and sleeps. She's sure Saurette feels the same way.

\--

Leaf enters Pewter City Gym feeling refreshed and ready. Her pokémon signals just the same from inside her pokéball, and as she enters a man waves to catch her attention.

"Hiya! Do you want to dream big? Do you dare to dream of becoming the Pokémon champ? I'm no Trainer, but I can advise you on how to win. Let me take you to the top!"

Excitable, isn't he. Leaf shakes her head and smiles. “No, thank you --”

"It's a free service!” He pats her on the shoulder; Leaf shakes it off, but he doesn't seem shaken by her wary attitude. “Let's get happening! The first Pokémon out in a match is at the left of the Pokémon List. By changing the order of Pokémon, you may gain an advantage. Try different orders to suit your opponent's party." 

She glances at her one pokémon, decides the advice isn't as helpful as the guy evidently wants to be, but thanks him regardless with a small bow. She heads into the main part of the gym, being stopped shortly by a young boy claiming he'll test her to see if she's worth of facing Brock.

Grass is good against rock, she finds out, and dispatches him quickly. Brock's waiting for her at the other end of the gym, arms crossed and looking more than a little intimidating.

“So, you're here.” 

Leaf feels jitters at his voice; she holds her Bulbasaur's vines in her hands – loose, swinging them – while she introduces herself, hoping the motion will calm her nerves. “That's right, sir. I'm Leaf, a trainer from Pallet Town.”

“I'm Brock. I'm Pewter's Gym Leader. My rock-hard willpower is evident even in my Pokémon. My Pokémon are all rock hard, and have true-grit determination. That's right - my Pokémon are all the Rock-type! Fuhaha!” 

“I look forward to battling you!” She bows; Brock laughs, and she straightens up, feeling embarrassed for the manners her mother drilled into her as a child.

“You're going to challenge me knowing that you'll lose? That's the Trainer's honor that compels you to challenge me. Fine, then! Show me your best!" 

Honor, huh --? Leaf drops her bulbasaur's vines and watches her leaf pokémon ease into the space in front of her. She's not quite sure it's some honor that compels her – more like it's a reason, a promise, a stupid _boy_ – but if he wants to think that, then --

Pewter City Gym, with its formidable Geodude and Onix, is easy after their trials getting through Viridian Forest. Brock returns his onix, and Leaf does the same with her bulbasaur. She clasps the pokéball to her chest, a wide grin making its way over her face, and Brock looks more than a little sheepish as he removes one badge of many from the inside of his jacket.

“I took you for granted, and so I lost. As proof of your victory, I confer on you this... the official Pokémon League Boulder Badge.”

She accepts it with a bounce in her step, slipping it into its place in her badge case (an old trinket her mother had conferred to her, before she left) and giving it a squeeze – same as her bulbasaur's pokéball – before she tucks it into her bag. Brock studies her as she does so, and nods once he's got her attention again.

“Just having the Boulder Badge makes your Pokémon more powerful. It also enables the use of the move Flash outside of battle. Of course, a Pokémon must know the move Flash to use it.”

Leaf nods and turns --

“Wait! Take this with you.”

back around, as Brock takes a disc from his pocket and holds it out.

“A TM, Technical Machine, contains a technique for Pokémon. Using a TM teaches the move it contains to a Pokémon. A TM is only good for one use. So, when you use one, pick the Pokémon carefully.”

She nods as she takes it. “Thank you, Mr. Brock. You're very kind.”

Brock seems thrown off by her comment; he clears his throat, watching her as she puts it into her TM case. “Anyways... TM39 contains Rock Tomb. It hurls boulders at the foe and lowers its speed.”

It sounded useful, but she's not so sure Saurette could use it. A quick survey of her 'dex proves her right, and she decides to hold onto it anyway.

“There are all kind of Trainers in this huge world of ours. You appear to be very gifted as a Pokémon Trainer. So let me make a suggestion.”

Leaf blushes at his compliment – she'd take average, sure, but _very gifted_? - and nods for him to continue.

“Go to the Gym in Cerulean and test your abilities.”

“I will. Thank you again, sir!” She turns away again and jogs down the the length of the gym, letting out a laugh as soon as she hits the outside air.

_Gifted._ Her!

\--

Leaf visits the Pewter City Museum, once she's calmed down. The 50PY fee isn't too bad, and she lays the exact amount on the counter as she steps in. Her first stop is on the left side, where people are gathered around cases. Upon closer inspection, they're fossils – ancient pokémon that've been extinct for thousands – maybe a hundred thousand, or even longer than that – years. 

She looks at the fossils in amazement, at the pictures labeled AERODACTYL and KABUTOPS. They must have been fearsome, she thinks. Their bones certainly suggested it – Kabutops with its dome-shaped head and sharp scythes and Aerodactyl with its massive, teeth-riddled jaw. 

She heads upstairs not too long after, wishing (as all children do) that she should have seen them herself, and hears a child begging her father for a Pikachu -- and his promise to do so in return. Her heart wilts a little, remembering when she asked her dad for the same thing. He had laughed, ruffled her hair, and said she'd get a Pokémon of her own when she was older.

She had, Leaf supposes. Without him.

The Moon Stones aren't anything to look at, in her opinion, but she studies them thoroughly regardless. If a meteorite had fallen on Mt. Moon - something her map indicated she was going to have to travel through very soon - then maybe she could pick some up.

It'd be a great souvenir to give to Mom. She deserved something pretty to keep in memory of her daughter, as she had little left from her _dearly beloved_ husband.

Shortly after she leaves Pewter City itself – and steps onto Route 3, ready to vent her father-made frustrations – her bulbasaur evolves into an ivysaur. Despite that, the route is still a hard one, and she takes a deep pleasure in relaxing into the Pokémon Center outside of Mt. Moon's couches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [team:  
> saurette | serious ivysaur | level 16 | leech seed, vine whip, poisonpowder, growl
> 
> badges:  
> boulder badge]


	4. Mt. Moon -> Cerulean City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mt. Moon is a tougher opponent than Leaf had thought it'd be, a gang named Team Rocket attempts to stop her progress, and Cerulean City is a welcome sight for her and her team. She also makes a new friend along the way.

Leaf encounters a new danger when the Paras in Mt. Moon shake off her Ivysaur's Leech Seed as if it's nothing. She feels tears brim at the edge of her eyes -- and then, nothing.

\--

On her third return to the Pokécenter, she finally notices a large man standing in the corner. He's been waving her over for quite some time, she suspects, and she hesitantly joins him as she lets the nurses take her Ivysaur.

"Can I help you?" She asks, and the man smiles.

"Hello there, sweetie pie!" Leaf makes a face, but the man continues as if he hadn't seen. "Have I got a deal just for you!"

Just for her? She motions for him to continue, which he does with increasing gusto. "I'll let you have a secret Pokémon - a Magikarp - for just 500 Pokéyen!"

She felt her heart sink. Another Pokémon? She couldn't handle Saurette -- or herself -- how was she going to deal with a second? She hadn't caught any still, just for that reason, and yet --

the look the man gives her says he believes in her. The way he talks - "So, you'll buy it, am I right?" - gets her to nod and shovel over the small portion of her winnings she had earned from the Pewter City Gym.

The man laughs, hands her the pokéball, and sends her on her way. Leaf picks up Saurette, heads outside, and introduces her to the newest member of their team: Karpette.

\--

Karpette isn't useful at all, but Leaf keeps him around; she feels something special with him - a bond of sorts, different than the one she shared with Saurette.

Perhaps it's because they're both uselessly splashing about; they're fish out of water, and Leaf keeps her fingers clasped around her Magikarp's ball as she thinks of a way to help him and herself.

\--

Their training regime is thus: Karpette goes out, then gets switched for Saurette. The serious Ivysaur doesn't mind as much as Leaf feared she would, and it's something she's grateful for. It's taxing on the three of them, but they're making it work, and Leaf has a healthy supply of Potions from the mart in her bag. She knew about finances, at least, and she always found a few on the ground.

Little guilt is found in taking what is dropped, and so when Leaf finds a piece of candy she gives it to Karpette, who looks stronger after it. She makes a note to herself about it, sure that it will come in handy some day.

With a grin, she begins to think that maybe, just maybe she isn't such a bad trainer after all.

\--

They face a lass with an Oddish. Karpette can't help, and Saurette's vines shake and give up in the middle of it. Leech Seed and Poison Powder don't work, period.

Leaf feels like she's started back at square one again.

And then, she sees her opening.

The Oddish starts to struggle -- it hurts itself even as it hurts her Ivysaur. Leaf grips the brim of her hat and readies a Potion or two to help her Saurette cope.

\--

When the Oddish downs itself, Leaf feels her heart sore; she pumps a fist into the air, about to shout in victory --

and sees the lass reach for her second Pokémon.

The joy falls flat; her fist slams against her thigh; and she can't even bring herself to cry anymore.

\--

Saurette resigns herself to the same fate as the Oddish -- except she wins, and Leaf makes her way as quickly and as quietly as she can to the cave's entrance once more.

She rests in the Pokémon Center, studying her two Pokémon sleeping in their balls. One on hand, she's happy; they both seem to like her and trust her, and the professor had decided to entrust her (and Blue) with the task of helping him fill the Pokédex. That had to count for something.

Even if she wasn't doing a totally stellar job at the moment. She at least had Karpette now, even if he was bought instead of caught. Two Pokémon -- it's a fine number, she decides quietly. Her fish and her...

She struggles for what Ivysaur is, exactly, as the murmur of people from Mt. Moon coming into the center grows louder and louder, and the mention of a group of black-clothed thugs messing around and searching for fossils catches her attention.

\--

In Mt. Moon, Leaf finally finds a way off the ground floor. She climbs down the ladder, makes her way through the long, L-shaped tunnel, and begins her ascent at the other end.

She makes it to the top of a ladder, brushing dirt from her skirt. At last, she thinks. Out of that long, dirty tunnel.

She begins to think how technically, she is still on the ground floor  - albeit on a different side - when her wrist gets grabbed; she turns to see a man dressed in black. A large red R is stitched into the middle of his shirt; there's something sinister about him, and Leaf can't bring herself to speak a word.

"We, Team Rocket, are Pokémon gangsters! We strike fear with our strength!"

A young man (and the murmurs of those who passed through) had mentioned there were bad people in the cave -- was it this Team Rocket? Leaf barely has a second to think before the battle begins, and she tries to calm her panic as she switches her Magikarp for her Ivysaur as the man sends out a Sandshrew.

It falls easily enough, as does the Rattata and Zubat after it. Leaf thinks that maybe that extra hard battling they had been forced to deal with - their last stand, if she might say - had done them some good after all.

The room's a dead end, though, so with a groan and a dirty look to the beaten Team Rocket member she heads back down into the tunnel and continues to search for a way to Cerulean City.

She meets another member of Team Rocket instead, the further down she goes. Standing before the stairs, she spots at least two others and wonders if she can keep up the pace their interruption has set.

Because, as terrible as she felt about her skills as a trainer, she'd feel even worse if she let them go.

\--

Cerulean City is beautiful, clean, and the town she crashes in for three days. She wakes up to the nurses discussing if they should move her to the hospital in Celadon City, and she assures them she's fine; just a little tired. Her Ivysaur greets her with a nudge to her hand, and she can feel her Magikarp's relief through his pokéball.

The Gym should be her next destination, but Leaf decides to relax instead. She sits beside the small lake with her small team, watching her small Magikarp enjoy his time in the cool water. Her Ivysaur naps beside her, soaking in the sun.

It's good to chill out sometimes, Leaf muses. If only Blue could learn that as well.

Maybe he wouldn't be so much of a jerk if he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [team:  
> saurette | serious ivysaur | level 21 | female | poisonpowder, leech seed, growl, vine whip  
> karpette | hardy magikarp | level 11 | male | splash
> 
> badges:   
> boulder badge]


	5. Cerulean City pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After several victories, Murphy's law comes into effect.

Leaf decides she's had enough resting - she slept for three days and relaxed with her Pokémon in the sun, after all - and heads towards the Cerulean City Gym. It's filled with water, and she calmly listens to the advice her self-appointed coach (because she had told him no, but still he insisted on being it) gives her.  
  
"You can drain all their water with Grass-type Pokémon! Or, you might use Electric-type Pokémon and zap them!"  
  
Upon hearing those words, her heart flutters and she steps past the guide. After a hard time on Route 3 - and an even harder time in Mt. Moon - it feels good to have some good news. As she steps towards the first of two Gym Trainers, she grips her Ivysaur's pokéball and sends her out against his Horsea. It's an easy win with Razor Leaf, and his Shellder falls the same way.  
  
The next one stops her before she gets to the Gym Leader, and Leaf glances nervously beside her at the ginger who crosses her legs to watch their battle. The picnicker sends out a single Goldeen, and Saurette takes care of it without a second thought.  
  
The Gym Leader stands up, introduces herself as Misty, and then asks Leaf what she thinks about when she catches and trains Pokémon -- what her policy is, if she's aiming to be a pro.  
  
Leaf pauses, considering the question, and shrugs. Her fingers drum a slow beat against her thigh as Misty awaits her answer.  
  
"I don't know," she admits. She doesn't catch Pokémon - although she thinks that maybe, if she wins this battle she'll catch one all on her own - and struggling to survive through to the next town can hardly be called training. "What do you mean?"  
  
Misty frowns a little, and Leaf hopes it isn't at her evasion.  
  
"My policy is an all out offensive with Water Pokémon!" Misty sends out her Staryu as an example. "Think of one before the battle ends, okay?"  
  
Leaf nods, nudges her Ivysaur forward, and starts off with her tried-and-true combo of Poisonpowder and Leech Seed.  
  
Even with a Grass Pokémon like Saurette, Misty turns out to be harder than Brock. Her Staryu and Starmie both go down when inflicted with status conditions and under constant duress of vines grown strong with life-or-death situations and leaves sharp enough to cut through rock, but her Ivysaur is exhausted by the battle. Leaf returns her and steps forward to get her badge.  
  
"Wow!" Misty sighs, digging through her bag beside her. "You're too much, all right!"  
  
The sparkling, bleu teardrop of a badge gets held out a moment later, and Leaf carefully takes it from the Water specialist. The same warmth as beating Brock (and getting out of Viridian Forest, and making it through Mt. Moon, and waking up after three days of sleep) seeps into her bones.  
  
"The Cascade Badge makes all Pokémon up to Lv. 30 obey. That includes even outsiders you get from trade." Misty recites it; Leaf had heard something similar from Brock about the Boulder Badge, and nods softly. "There's more. You can now use Cut any time, even outside of battle."  
  
Someone outside had mentioned something about that move, and Misty fails to keep a smirk off her face at Leaf's confused look. "You can cut down small trees to open new pathways."  
  
"That's right. Okay, I'll --"  
  
"You," Misty stops her with an emphasized word, and Leaf turns back to her with red cheeks and feeling like a fool, "can also have my favorite TM."  
  
The Gym Leader places a disc in her hands, and Leaf tucks it into her bag.  
  
"TM03 teaches Water Pulse." Leaf remembers that from Staryu. It confused her poor Ivysaur, but didn't do much damage. Saurette nearly worn herself out fighting the confusion, on the other hand. "Use it on an aquatic Pokémon!"  
  
She thinks of Karpette, eager in his pokéball, and laughs. "I will."  
  
"What about your policy?" Misty sits back into her chair, and Leaf furrows her brow. "At the beginning of the battle, I asked you to think of one before the end of it. Did you?"  
  
"Sorry." Leaf tilts her hat to hide Misty's disappointed look. "I couldn't really think of one."  
  
"You'll find it." Misty doesn't sound disappointed, but cheerful. Leaf chances a look and sees a smile instead of a sigh. "Hold onto it when you do!"  
  
"I will."

\--  
  
Bill, Bill, Bill -- it's the only name Leaf hears ringing around the Pokémon Center while she waits for the nurses to finish healing her team. She wonders if he lives nearby, then figures that if he didn't, not a lot of people would talk about him. She hadn't heard of him at all while she was passing through Viridian City or while she was in Pewter City; only coming to Cerulean awarded her that.  
  
Once she's gotten her team back - with a smile and a quick bow to the nurse in charge - she heads out to find a little more information on this 'Bill'.  
  
Instead, she finds out the following:  
  


  1. If the Slowbro wasn't blocking the small tree to the south side of town, she could use Cut on it and get down the route to Celadon City (or so her map says) much quicker.
  2. Making "an encyclopedia" on Pokémon (she assumes the old man means "filling her Pokédex") sounds amusing.
  3. (She is angry about the second one, before she realizes it isn't worth it.)
  4. There is a bike shop in Cerulean City (and the bicycles are way too expensive).
  5. There is an elderly gentleman who likes badges and offers to describe them to her; she declines, but thanks him anyway.
  6. Someone was robbed by that gang, Team Rocket, and the police are having a hard time with finding the perps.



  
All in all, she thinks, it wasn't a very successful investigation. There's a path leading out the north end of town, and Leaf wonders if maybe --  
  
maybe, he's there?  
  
\--  
  
Blue meets her nearly as soon as she begins her trek out the north end of the city. He grins and waves, and Leaf waves back with a similar expression.  
  
"Yo! Leaf! You're still struggling along back here?" He calls, and she feels her mood dampen somewhat at his condescending tone. Maybe he hadn't started recognizing her as a proper rival (and friend), then. Before she can answer, he starts on again.  
  
"I'm doing great! I caught a bunch of strong and smart Pokémon!" He motions to his pokéballs - there are three more than last time, and Leaf touches her one new Pokémon with some uncertainty; the smile fades, replaced instead by chewing her bottom lip. He follows her hand, smirks, and unclips one of his newest teammates. "Here, let me see what you caught, Leaf!"  
  
She hadn't caught anything, technically, and when his Pidgeotto comes out she doesn't waste time showing off the one she had bought for the (in retrospect) outrageous price of 500 pokéyen; instead, she sends out her Ivysaur and feels a small hint of triumph at his surprised look.  
  
The battle begins with her Poisonpowder/Leech Seed combination. Despite the heavy Gusts Blue's Pidgeotto sends, the combo - and Saurette's superior speed and defense - downs it.  
  
Next is Charmander, and Leaf has to admit; she's surprised it hasn't evolved. From the look on Blue's face, he's disappointed that it hasn't. She doesn't hesitate to use the same tactic again --  
  
but despite being unevolved, Charmander's fire is too hot for Saurette to handle. Leaf looks for a Potion and panics when she realizes she's out. By the time she's done searching, Saurette is down. She sends out her Magikarp, and Blue's Charmander feels the toll of being poisoned and seeded. It goes down without Karpette needing to do a thing.  
  
Leaf doesn't feel any closer to winning, though, and she's proven right when she checks the Pokédex and sees that Abra only has one attack: Teleport. It dizzies Karpette with its speed, but it doesn't matter; Karpette flops about uselessly, and Leaf feels so, so bad for her sweet fish. At long last, the Abra gets bored and quits messing with them.  
  
She returns her fainted Magikarp and tilts down her hat at Blue's triumphant smirk, disheartened at the loss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [team:  
> saurette | serious ivysaur | level 23 | poisonpowder, leech seed, razor leaf, vine whip  
> karpette | hardy magikarp | level 11 | splash
> 
> badges:  
> boulder badge, cascade badge]


	6. Cerulean City pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hard work always pays off handsomely.

Outside of the Pokémon Center, Leaf looks first to her team. They're as down as her about the loss to Blue; Saurette's leaves are curled gently inward, and Karpette seems lifeless against the translucent red lid. She looks second to the northbound path, where she doesn't doubt that Blue is waiting – either to see if he could win again, or if she was even going to try – and then third, to Route 4.

“We have to get stronger,” she tells her pokéballs. Her two pokémon perk up at her tone – determined, quiet, and ready. It's a change from the sorrowful apologies she had cried on the way to the Pokémon Center and while they were healing from the exhaustive battle. It's a side they've only seen when facing down the gangsters in Mt. Moon.

Saurette taps her vines against her ball, happy for her trainer's change. Karpette flops as he usually does.

Leaf grins, and they head out to Route 4. The training regime they held on the way through Mt. Moon – her magikarp first, then switching for her ivysaur – keeps them on their toes. They break every so often to rest up at the Pokémon Center, but go right back to seeking fights and training after wards. Neither mind the hard work, because –

With enough training with Razor Leaf, Saurette becomes a master at critical hits. With enough experience, Karpette evolves into a beast she's only read about in books. It's slow going – the creatures around Cerulean City aren't strong as is – but they're determined not to lose the next time they face Blue.

It's nearing sunset by the time Leaf decides they've trained enough. Both of them are levels stronger; she's more than satisfied by it. She returns them, returns to the Pokémon Center for one last healing, and then heads off towards the Nugget Bridge. The last rays of the setting sun color it beautifully, and, as she expected, Blue is waiting.

She jogs up, and he pushes himself off of the railing. The cock of his hip reflects his arrogance, and she pushes away the fear that their intense training won't be enough to win. This is why they had tried so hard, she reminds herself.

“Blue,” she greets him. He nods in acknowledgment. “Can we battle again?”

“Are you that eager to lose?” Blue's taunt almost gets her; she shakes her head, though, and grips Karpette's pokéball tightly.

“I did a lot of training.” She shifts on her feet, watching him. He raises his eyebrows and smirks.

“I'm not going to embarrass you twice in one day, Leaf.” He sticks one hand in his pocket and raises the other one in the air as he begins to walk past her. She grabs his wrist, frowning when he looks at her. 

A deep breath, then: “I want to battle. And you wouldn't be waiting around here if you didn't want to, too.”

Blue rolls his eyes, jerks his wrist away, and takes a few steps back.

“Fine, but don't start crying again when you lose.”

“I don't plan on it.”

Unlike the last time, Karpette goes out first – and Blue's surprised, once again. Leaf forces back an eager grin at it, especially when he towers over her rival and his first pokémon – his pidgeotto, again. Her gyarados wrecks through both the bird and his rattata, and she switches to Saurette for his charmander and abra.

“What'd I say!” She ducks past her ivysaur and grips his shirt, grinning. Through slitted eyes, she sees his face redden just before he shoves her off.

“Hey! Take it easy! You won already!”

When she steadies herself, he's moving onto the next topic. Just like his grandfather, she thinks; never waiting around for anyone to say anything to them. She wonders if he knows just how strong the family resemblance is. Probably not. He'd deny it anyway --

“Hey, guess what?” Blue snaps his fingers to get her attention. She directs to him instead of her thoughts, crossing her arms over her chest. “I went to Bill's and got him to show me his rare pokémon. That added a lot of pages to my Pokédex! After all, Bill's world famous as a Pokémaniac. He invented the pokémon storage system on the PC, too. Since you're using his system, you should go thank him.”

So he was up that way. Leaf glances behind Blue at the golden bridge, then shrugs. She's not really using it after all – she glances guiltily at her ivysaur, then to her pokéball'd gyarados.

Blue watches her for a moment, quiet, then raises his hand just as he did before their battle as he begins to saunter off. “Well, I better get rolling! Smell ya later!”

Saurette returns to her pokéball, just as Leaf hears someone coming up behind her. She feels a hand on her shoulder, and when she looks it's Blue. She opens her mouth to ask him what he's going, but he waves it away with his free hand and takes a step back.

"I feel sorry for you.”

She's not sure if she should be angry or happy; on one hand, that means he thinks about her and worries over her. That's a surefire step towards being best friends again, instead of bully and bullied. On other other – pity? After she had just won? Her fingers edge tighter around her ivysaur's ball, just as Blue chuckles.

“No, really. You're always plodding behind me. So here, I'll give you a little present as a favor.” He tosses her a small device – the back reads Fame Checker, and she studies it while he continues. “A chatty gossip like you… That thing's perfect. I don't need it because I don't give a hoot about others.”

“Being nice isn't the same as being a chatty gossip,” she tries, but Blue's still waving her off. He tells her bye in his own way – she really doesn't get the appeal behind _smell ya_ – and she's left with her new item and the location of that Bill guy everyone had been raving about in the Pokémon Center.

She tucks it away in her bag and heads up the golden bridge. She can already see the milestones of trainers, so she turns around and heals up. No sense in getting into trouble like she had before, with Viridian Forest and the routes after Pewter City. 

She refused to get fooled a third time.

–

The five trainers of this so-called Nugget Bridge are a piece of cake with Karpette. She proudly returns her gyarados as she makes her way to the end of the bridge and to the prize-giver. He congratulates her, then hands her a nugget. She marvels at the golden shine, then tucks it away. Such a wealthy prize for something that wasn't even too hard – although, her overtraining might have been the reason for that.

“By the way,” the trainer catches her attention, “how would you like to join Team Rocket?”

“Team Rocket?” It sounded-- familiar. A police officer had mentioned it earlier, and there had been those guys in Mt. Moon attempting to excavate fossils.

“We're a group of professional criminals specializing in pokémon!” The trainer continues on, either unaware or not caring about her expression of displeasure at the mention of the team. “Want to join?”

“No thanks.”

The trainer blinks, evidently perplexed, and steps closer. “Are you sure?”

“Very.” She steps back.

One step forward. “Come on, join us!”

“I said no.” One step back.

One step forward; he grabs her wrist this time, too. “I'm telling you to join!”

“And I said I didn't want to!” She snaps, mild-manners gone at his persistence. In his pokéball, Karpette rumbles; in her pokéball, Saurette begins to shake. Leaf spares them both a glance, then concentrates fully on the mysterious trainer in front of her.

“...Okay.” She's almost relieved at his dropping of the sub – “You need convincing!” Never mind. “I'll make you an offer you can't refuse!”

He tosses out a pokémon – an ekans – and she's quick to respond with her gyarados. Both it and his zubat go down with ease, and she keeps her beast out just in case. Karpette lays his head by her side, and she leans on him while the grunt nurses his pride.

“With your ability, you'd become a top leader in Team Rocket.” Her heart skips a beat at the compliment – but it isn't a compliment if it's coming from him, she assures herself. She was a great trainer – beating two gyms and Blue, as well as training her pokémon, proved that. Professor Oak's trust in her proved that. The trust her pokémon had in her, too. She cautiously returns her gyarados, sensing no threat from the grunt, as he begs on. “Come on, think of the opportunity! Don't let this chance go to waste!”

She heads on past him, turning right at the corner. Seven battles later, she's at the doorstep of a cottage that belongs to Bill – if the mailbox is anything to go by. She knocks twice, then steps into an empty room. No, that's wrong; there's a clefairy looking around. She had seen them in Mt. Moon – she wanted one, but had been too afraid to catch it – and this one likely belonged to Bill. Leaf moves closer to it, kneels down, and smiles.

“Hi there.”

“Hiya! I'm a pokémon!” The clefairy pauses, then laughs. “No, I'm not!”

Leaf backpedals away and slams against the desk, rocking the computer. She stares at the not-pokémon in confusion as it toddles up to her. It places its hands (?) on its hips (???), grins, and gives her a small bow.

“Call me Bill! I'm a true-blue Pokémaniac!”

The surprise fades, but not the confusion; she gives him the same look her mother gives her when she thinks she's lying, and the clefairy puffs up a little.

“Hey! What's with that skeptical look? I'm not joshing you, lady.” Leaf pushes herself up using the desk, staring down at the clefa-- at Bill as he turns away and begins pacing around his home. “I screwed up an experiment and got combined with a pokémon!”

“I... see.” It's the first two words she's spoken in the last five minutes, mostly because – well, it's hard to believe. But pokémon don't talk – normally – so she nods to reaffirm herself. “I understand.”

“So, how about it? Help me out here!”

She nods, and he jumps – for joy, she guesses?

“Wait till I get inside the teleporter.” He motions with his whole body towards the rightmost machine. “When I do, go to my PC and run the Cell Separation System.”

She watches him run into it, then heads over to the PC. The amount of data gives her pause and panic – how was she supposed to know what to click!? – but she finds what she's looking for after a few minutes of searching: the Cell Separator. She activates it, then watches a brilliant green light move from the machine on the right to the one on the left. The door opens, and –

out steps a young man. He grins at her when he catches her staring, and pulls her to the edge of the desk.

“Yeehah!” Leaf blinks at the thicker accent, but doesn't say a word. “Thanks, lady! I owe you one!”

“It was no problem, sir.”

“So, did you come to see my pokémon collection?” She shakes her head – she had only wanted to check out who and where he was, because of the people in Cerulean City – and he slumps a little. “You didn't? That's a bummer.”

“Sorry.” She bows slightly and he shakes his head, dismissing her worries.

“I've got to thank you...” Against her small retorts of _no_ , she didn't need anything, he starts shuffling through his pockets. A grin alights on his face as he tugs out a white and blue ticker. “Oh, here, maybe this'll do.”

He gives it to her; it reads S.S. Anne, and as she inspects the lettering (very official looking) he nods towards his gift.

“That cruise ship S.S. Anne is in Vermilion City. I hear there are lots of trainers on board, too. They invited me to their party,” he drawls, “but I can't stand fancy do's. Why don't you go instead of me? Go on and have a good time.”

“Thank you very much.” Leaf bows again; Bill chuckles and pats her back until she straightens up once more, and she leaves down the routes to Cerulean City. The officer that had been standing in front of the robbed house had moved since she'd been gone, and she takes the time to step into the complete mess of a room to check on the inhabitants.

Despite the mess, the only thing stolen is a TM for Dig. Leaf gives them her well-wishes, then eyes the hole in the back of the house and steps out of it.

“Hey! Stay out!” She jerks her head over to the voice, and immediately recognizes the trademark red R on the man's shirt. “It's not your yard!”

“Oh, I'm sor...” She shakes the apology out of her head; that Team Rocket member didn't belong here any more than she did, because it wasn't his yard either. “What about you?”

“...Huh? Me? I'm an innocent bystander!” He smiles; it'd be convincing, if she hadn't dealt with his gang before. “Don't you believe me?”

She lets her gyarados out in response, and has him begging for mercy by the end of the short battle. 

“Return it.” He looks at her, as if he doesn't know what she's talking about, and she points to the house. “The TM you stole from them.”

“...Okay.” He hands it over to her, and with a final good bye disappears. The robbed couple lets her have it – the old hiker taught a Diglett to dig without it, anyway, and with that taken care of she tucks it into her TM Case and heads southward –

to Saffron City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [team:  
> saurette | serious ivysaur | level 26 | poisonpowder, leech seed, razor leaf, vine whip  
> karpette | hardy gyarados | level 24 | tackle, splash, bite
> 
> badges:  
> boulder badge, cascade badge]


End file.
